Snakes on a Plan
by lilubowie
Summary: Lilly Luna is left with the consequences an unsuccessful Christmas prank between her older brothers, but maybe they are not so bad consequences after all…


Lilly froze at the sight of the snake curled up under the bed. As much as she wanted to scream her voice just wouldn't come high enough. How did it come back? Her father had thrown it far away so James and Fred couldn't pick it up again.

"D-d-daad…. T-th-the s-s…." she trembled

"Please… don't let them throw me out there again… it's so cold… I'll die…" The reptile begged in a sad voice.

Now, most people would find it extremely surprising to find a talking animal. But it so happened that Lilly Potter had never seen a real snake before her older brother James decided to wrap one and give to her other brother Albus as a Christmas present, mocking him for being sorted in Slytherin. Futhermore, no one ever told the innocent nine year old that snakes shouldn't be speaking, which explained why the girl wasn't shocked in the least, but only amused.

"So… you can talk?" She approached it carefully.

The snake nodded.

"Will you promise not to bite me?"

"I won't bite you if you don't try to hurt me first…" .That seemed fair enough, Lilly though, sitting in front of the snake. The snake lifted it's head looking at Lilly's eyes.

"But why would you die? You live outside, don't you?" she asked, curious.

"Where I come from it's never this cold. When they brought me here I lived in a glass house, with plants and a very small fake sun that would keep me warm."

"Seems nice enough… How did you get here, then?"

"These two boys gave gold to the man who kept me in the glass house and took me away and put me in a box. I didn't like the box… I couldn't move very well and they were always shaking it so I couldn't sleep either. Then another boy opened the box n threw me on the floor screaming… it hurt…"

"I'm sorry about that. Those are my brothers and my cousin." Lilly blushed.

"Then a man in glassed levitated me and put me outside, in the snow…"

Se was now feeling genuinely sorry for the snake.

"I'm sure he didn't know you didn't like the cold… He didn't mean any harm…"

The snake watched her silently and nodded, as if accepting an apology. Then it slithered around the little girl, observing the cozy room, fit for a little princess. The walls, covered with a beautiful enchanted wallpaper where cherry blossoms and rose petals danced as if carried by the wind were filled shelves packed with books, toys and ornaments; a big and comfortable bed stood in the middle, facing a fireplace where porcelain dolls dresses as witches and fluffy teddy bears stood side by side.

"Can I stay here? Please? I see you too have a fake sun…" The snake said, pointing with it's face to the lamp in the ceiling.

"I don't think my parents would like it very much…" She said, apologetically. The snake eyed her sadly.

"But then again…" she mused "My brother James has an owl… and Albus got a pet ferret too… I always wanted a cat myself but…"

"I would make a good pet." The snake interrupted anxiously. Lilly looked at it puzzled.

"I never heard of anyone who had a snake as a pet…"

"Cats need brushing and occasionally baths… and they leave fur everywhere, it might make you sneeze. I don't have fur… I wouldn't give you any trouble… I can sleep under your bed"

"I still don't know…"

"I could be useful…" the snake said crawling around the girl again "You are a girl… you must be afraid of rats and frogs…"

"They are disgusting… true. I'm glad neither of my brothers got a toad" Lilly admitted.

"See? I'll eat them… you would never have to worry about these things again. Lizards, frogs, rats, cockroaches…" The snake proposed eagerly.

"And you won't poison me?"

"I'm not poisonous…" it guaranteed.

Lilly pondered as she watched the snake that awaited her response with hopeful eyes.

"Well then it's settled, I guess." The snake waved its tail happily at her decision. "And it will be nice to have someone other than the house elf to talk to when my brothers go back to Hogwarts… My parents work all day. Even though mom works writing her articled at home it gets lonely here sometimes when she's locked at the office… I could teach you to play wizard's chess!" Lilly concluded cheerfully.

The snake nodded "I'll be a good companion!" It said, curling itself on the carpet in front of the fireplace as Lilly took a chessboard from one of the shelves.

**A/N: I know J K said in interviews that Harry's ability to speak parseltongue was only due** **to his connection to Voldemort and it disappeared when he died. But she also admitted that most wizarding families are related, so I don't think it would be impossible for little Lilly to have such a gift, since there were wizards in Britain who were parselmouths, her ability wouldn't necessarily be connected to Harry. **


End file.
